Louisa clinched a playoff birth last night after its victory over Fluvanna. The Lions (5-2 Jefferson District, 7-3) were led by Andrew Mealy who had 11 rushes for 84 yards and two touchdowns and Anthony Hunter (10 carries, 76 yards, 3 TDs). The Flying Flucos got a combined 77 yards on the ground from T.J. Dudley (38 yards) and Ryan Foster (39 yards) as they fell to 2-5 in the district and 3-7 overall.

There will be no tricks, treats or Halloween parties this year for many of Virginia’s convicted sex criminals. Officers with the Virginia Department of Corrections and the Virginia State Police are teaming up again to make sure registered sex offenders who are under state supervision won’t cause any harm to young ghouls and goblins.

Boyle Dentistry
6366 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville
Tomorrow, 2-4 p.m.
  Dr. Vicki Tibbs
2700 Pocahontas Trail, Quinton
Tomorrow, 2-5 p.m.
  Dr. John J. Andre
10863 W. Broad St., Glen Allen and 208B Elm Ave., Louisa
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  Children’s Dentistry of Virginia

Virginia State Police have launched a statewide investigation into possible illegal voting by felons in last November’s election. However, state police and election officials declined to give any indication of how many possible offenders are under investigation, so the extent of the problem could not be gauged yesterday. State police said that such an investigation is not unusual.

A Louisa County woman linked to three mysterious deaths beginning with that of her second husband 15 years ago pleaded guilty yesterday to dumping her boyfriend’s body in an abandoned well. Ulisa Mary Chavers, speaking in barely audible tones, pleaded guilty to charges of concealing the body of Reginal Cody Bowles, credit-card fraud, identity theft and possession of a sawed-off rifle. She faces up to 25 years in prison when she is sentenced Jan. 25.

A woman linked to three mysterious deaths will plead guilty next week to discarding her boyfriend’s body in a well on his property in Louisa County, her attorney said yesterday. Ulisa Mary Chavers has confessed to authorities that she put Reginal Cody Bowles’ body in the 33-foot-deep well, said her attorney, Mike Caudill. The body, wrapped in sleeping bags, was found in March in some water at the bottom of the unused well. Bowles disappeared in early 2007.

A woman linked to three mysterious deaths will plead guilty next week to discarding her boyfriend’s body in a well on his property in Louisa County, her attorney said today.

Justice delayed was not justice denied yesterday for a Louisa County man accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl nearly 30 years ago. Richard Clinton Moore, who initially escaped punishment for his crimes even after admitting guilt, will now spend the next five years behind bars. After a 45-minute hearing yesterday in Louisa Circuit Court, Judge Timothy K. Sanner sentenced the 58-year-old Moore to a total of 13 years in prison with eight years suspended.

A Louisa County man who pleaded guilty to distributing a powerful opiate pain reliever to one of his housemates was acquitted of felony murder yesterday in her 2007 drug-overdose death. At the end of a two-day jury trial in Louisa Circuit Court, Judge Timothy K. Sanner granted a defense motion to dismiss the murder count against Matthew Minster, 29, in the fentanyl overdose death of Nicole Brockett. The 24-year-old mother of infant twins was found dead in her western Louisa home on Dec. 26, 2007.

LOUISA—The Louisa County prosecutor announced today that a second person has been indicted in connection with vote fraud in the 2008 general election and that cases against more people are anticipated. Bernard Lewis Pace, 63, was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor, Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Garrett said in a news release.

Central Virginia has seen a slight increase in homicides so far this year, with higher numbers in Richmond and Petersburg offsetting improved numbers elsewhere. For the first nine months of the year, the region had 59 homicides, compared with 55 at the same time last year. The biggest shift has been in Richmond, where city police recorded seven more homicides as of Sept. 30 than a year earlier. Richmond’s nine-month count of 34 exceeds the total of 32 homicides for all of 2008.

A 19-year-old Richmond man has been convicted in Louisa County of soliciting sex from a minor. Robert Cox was arrested in October in a Louisa undercover operation aimed at sexual predators using the Internet to solicit children. Cox is a former employee of a day care center in Henrico County, according to Louisa Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Garrett, who did not name the center.

120 had no critical violations during inspections conducted during the 2008-09 school year; and
93 had two or fewer total
critical violations for the year
Here are some examples of critical violations inspectors found at area schools. These
violations were corrected:
Oct. 30, 2008: Employees were observed handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands at

Dawn Smythers was shot in the head by her husband, Forrest Smythers Jr., in January. A Louisa County jury yesterday found a 54-year-old man guilty of murdering his wife after an argument over Christmas lights, prosecutors said. On the evening of Jan. 11, Forrest Smythers Jr. fired a single shot from a .22-caliber rifle that struck Dawn Smythers “almost right between the eyes,“ said Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Rusty McGuire.

For Charlie Schwenker, flying in a straight line, airliner-style, isn’t for him. He prefers the twisting, turning, gravity-defying moves of aerobatics.  As he tumbles through the air, even flying upside down, Schwenker aims to entertain onlookers on the ground. That will be his mission Saturday when he performs aerobatics during the 18th annual Louisa County Air Show.